This invention relates to the interconnect of planar devices, such as PC boards, to each other as well as to any other peripheral device to which it might need to interact. A typical prior art method of performing this interconnect is to use a coaxial assembly off of each device and joining the coaxial assemblies together using an adapter. This is often costly, has poor electrical performance and also takes up too much valuable space.
FIGS. 8a and 8b show an example in separated and connected views respectively of the prior art interconnect with such an adapter 150. The adapter 150 connects two socket coaxial connectors 130 to each other which are in turn each connected to coaxial cables 20 coming to and from some signal source. The signal source can be either of a device or directly from a PC board. In the GORE xe2x80x9cUHDxe2x80x9d Interconnect system, which is available from W. L. Gore and Associates, Inc., Newark, Del., both of the socket coaxial connectors 130 are female connectors and the adapter 150 is constructed accordingly with pins 152 in the adapter 150. The prior art interconnect thus comprises three pieces: two socket coaxial connectors 130 and the adapter 150. The use of three individual elements degrades the electrical performance of the interconnect and requires more space.
The object of this invention is to improve the electrical performance of interconnects.
A further object of the invention is to reduce the space required for the interconnect.
Yet a further object of the invention is provide interconnects with a lower installed cost.
These and other objects of the invention are solved by providing an interconnection system comprising two coaxial cables connected together by matable connector halves. A first half of the matable connector halves is a male connector half formed of a first insulating housing in which is disposed at least one conductive pin being electrically connected to the cable center conductor of a first one of the two coaxial cables. The conductive pin is at least partly captivated by a first dielectric bead within a first connector shield and the first connector shield is electrically connected with the cable outer shield of a first one of the two coaxial cables. A second half of the matable connector halves is a female connector half formed of a second insulating housing in which is disposed at least one conductive receptacle which is electrically connected to the cable center conductor of a second one of the two coaxial cables. The at least one conductive receptacle is at least partly captivated by a second dielectric bead within a second connector shield and the second connector shield is electrically connected with the cable outer shield of a second one of the two coaxial cables. The at least one conductive receptacle is dimensioned to accept the at least one conductive pin and the second insulating housing with second dielectric bead is dimensioned to accept the first insulating housing with the first dielectric bead.
The use of the two part interconnect system of the current invention in which one part is a male connector half and the other half is a matable, female connector half means that less space is required since there is no adapter between the connector halves present within the interconnect system. Furthermore, since there is one less mechanical connection, the electrical performance of the system is maintained.
The matable connector halves of the interconnection system have more than one conductive pin, the exact number being dependent on the number of connections to be made and hence on the number of coaxial cables. The interconnection system of the current invention allows the construction of matable connector halves in which the distance between the conductive pins is between 6.0 and 3.0 mm. Furthermore, the invention permits the density of conductive pins to be between 30 and 40 per square inch (6.45 cm2) which means that the connector halves of the interconnect system requires less space.
In one application of the interconnection system, terminations on the surface of an electronic circuit board are connected to one or more coaxial cables. The terminations are electrically connected to a first end of the one or more coaxial cables by the matable connector halves of the invention. It is also possible for the other end of the one or more coaxial cables to be exposed for direct connection to one of the terminations on the electronic circuit board.